Author: Njih Favour

Lenacapavir will offer people at risk of HIV more choices for PrEP. (Photo: supplied) Lenacapavir will offer people at risk of HIV more choices for PrEP. (Photo: supplied) What’s new From 2027, Indian generics companies Hetero Labs and Dr. Reddy’s will supply lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable PrEP with ~96–100% efficacy, for US$40 (R698) per person per year across 120 low- and middle-income countries. South Africa, home to the world’s largest HIV epidemic, is included in the agreement, making the country one of the first able to procure affordable long-acting PrEP. Why it matters Daily oral PrEP uptake in South Africa has lagged. Adherence challenges,…

What’s new The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has released an interim report revealing that over R2 billion intended for healthcare services at Tembisa Hospital was misappropriated. The investigation, begun in September 2022, identified 207 service providers involved in 4,501 purchase orders, many tied to fraudulent procurement practices. How it happened Hospital officials colluded with service providers to inflate invoices and approve payments for goods and services that were never delivered. Three major syndicates, including the Maumela Syndicate, coordinated payments and funnelled funds into personal accounts and luxury assets. Lapses in internal controls and inadequate verification processes allowed fraudulent orders and duplicate payments…

The country that performed the first successful heart transplant has very low organ donation rates. Now a student-run medical non-profit is hoping to make a difference. (Photo: Nasief Manie/Spotlight) News & Features 29th September 2025 | Elri Voigt Thousands of people in South Africa are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, but our very low organ donation rates mean that many won’t get a transplant in time. Spotlight asks the experts why our donation rates are so low and what can be done about it. Back in 2002, Rentia le Roux received a horrifying diagnosis that her kidneys were failing.…

17 Jun SAHPRA’s Radiation Control Unit attends Search & Secure Training Cape Town – The Radiation Control (RadCon) Unit of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) attended a Search and Secure training held by the Office of Radiological Security (ORS) within the USA’s Department of Energy during 19 – 23 May 2025 in Cape Town. The unit underwent training as there were key areas of capacity building and knowledge development identified for Radiation Control to continue to grow, be sustainable, and the overall empowerment of the team – so that the Unit is able to continue to deliver…

28 Sep SAHPRA clarifies that paracetamol is safe to use in pregnancy, at recommended doses Pretoria, 28 September 2025 – The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) wishes to reassure the public that paracetamol remains a safe and recommended option for the relief of pain and fever during pregnancy, when used short-term at recommended doses. Paracetamol is one of the most widely used medicines globally and has been extensively studied for decades. There is currently no scientific evidence that using paracetamol in pregnancy causes attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. SAHPRA will continue to monitor emerging evidence on the…

While dental decay remains the most common form of oral disease, untreated, it can lead to life-threatening complications. (Photo: Bekky Bekks/Unsplash) Comment & Analysis 25th September 2025 | Bulela Vava We need to confront the racialised and class-based structures that still dictate society’s oral health outcomes, argues Dr Bulela Vava as we head toward the end of this year’s National Oral Health Month. September’s National Oral Health Month arrived as a bittersweet milestone for a nation still grappling with the unshakable legacy of apartheid. Despite significant strides made over the past three decades, for many in South Africa, oral disease…

Using public transport is a struggle for people with disabilities. People who depend on wheelchairs and other assistive devices say they often wait for hours because many taxis don’t stop to pick them up. Others say they are charged an additional fee for their wheelchairs.  Even when they do manage to get a taxi, people with disabilities face additional challenges. They have to navigate long distances using wheelchairs or crutches in busy city environments.  Hlengiwe Mngadi, founder of Siyaphambili Manysuwa Disabled Organisation “We often become victims of crime if we have to walk long distances from the Pinetown CBD, which…

By Dr Patrick Ngassa Piotie, Chairperson of the Diabetes Alliance In South Africa, diabetes is no longer a looming threat — it is already here, claiming lives every day. According to Statistics South Africa, diabetes is now one of the leading causes of death based on death notification certificates. That sobering fact alone should have triggered a national reckoning. Yet when it comes to knowing how many South Africans are actually living with diabetes, we are left with guesswork rather than certainty. For years, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas has been the most widely cited source of diabetes statistics.…

Residents of Donnelly Road in Durban are in a standoff with the eThekwini Municipality over delays in moving them into a low-cost housing project that was completed in June of 2024.    The project, located in the Bluff area, consists of 76 newly built rental flats that were declared “practically complete” in June 2024. It is part of a municipal rental housing initiative, with rent set at R850/month for a one-bedroom unit and R1,800/month for a two-bedroom unit. Over 60 families are currently living in a run-down building across the road from the new housing project. Residents say the living conditions are unsafe and…

Buyi Mngwengwe (36) is from Intshanga, a village west of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. Growing up, she would often see elderly women suffer, struggling with hunger and isolation while raising grandchildren. Many of these women had no one to help them take their medicines and exercise.  “Over the years, very little has changed,” Mngwengwe tells Health-e News.  In February 2025 she started a non-profit organisation called Ayiko Ngami (It’s not about me) to help the elderly in her village to improve their health, nutrition, and overall well-being. Subscribe to our newsletter Ayiko Ngami’s initiative provides daily low-impact exercise sessions tailored to…